Chapter 23: 144 Is Not Luffy's Limit
Luffy burst into laughter, unable to stop smiling.
At this moment, Usopp was walking on the street with a dejected look on his face.
Seeing this, Luffy asked curiously, "What happened? Did you have a fight with the young lady?"
Usopp shook his head, then finally nodded, giving the three of them a brief account of what had happened.
Because there was no Luffy or the others to interfere, Usopp had been ready to run away the moment he noticed Kuro. That had become his habit over the years.
But this time, Kuro acted out of character. In the past, he would just scold him and tell him not to visit Kaya.
This time, however, he went further. He kept berating him, calling him a liar. Worst of all, he insulted Usopp's mother and father—something Usopp could not tolerate.
He argued back. He even struck Kuro in front of Kaya.
In the end, Kaya drove him away.
That was why he was so depressed.
Is there anything worse than being rejected by the girl you like?
Yes—being rejected because of another man.
---
Under the double strike BUFF, Usopp was unable to recover.
Then he was taken by Luffy and his crew to Cheng Lang's ship.
Luffy looked at Cheng Lang's massive vessel and shouted, "This country is number one!"
You could actually plant trees on a boat! And these trees were so strangely square.
He wasn't the only one curious. The others also looked around, marveling at the bizarre style of Cheng Lang's ship.
Usopp, still gloomy, forgot his depression for a moment as he touched a vine on the deck.
"What kind of plant is this? It looks so weird."
"Pumpkin vine," Cheng Lang replied with a smile.
"Eh? A vine this thick that can stand without a frame is a pumpkin vine?" Usopp was stunned. He knew crops well enough—he had farmed before. Pumpkins didn't grow like this.
As if to prove itself, the vine bent and produced a large square pumpkin.
Everyone was stunned.
Cheng Lang calmly took out an axe and chopped the pumpkin.
"?!"
"Eh!? Such a big pumpkin?" Luffy's eyes widened as the pumpkin merged into Cheng Lang's body.
"You're also a Devil Fruit user?!"
Everyone except Zoro was shocked.
It was already strange enough that Luffy was rubber, then they'd met Buggy, and then Alvida. But this? Square trees, magical pumpkins—it was beyond belief.
"Yes, some special abilities," Cheng Lang nodded with a smile.
He then took out a basket of Cha Cha fruits.
"Here, have some fruit."
"This is…"
"Cha Cha fruit."
"It's so sweet, not sour at all!" Usopp exclaimed.
The Cha Cha fruit was normally crisp, shaped like a gourd, and turned sour after three days. It was good for wine, but not like this.
Everyone began eating.
"It's so sweet!" Nami sighed, quickly finishing hers. "There's no core, just flesh. If I could sell this, it would make a fortune."
But Luffy ignored all that and devoured them one after another.
Under Kuya Mi's shocked gaze, he ate all thirty-plus fruits in the basket.
"If you want more, I'll make sure you're full," Cheng Lang said, producing another basket.
Luffy thanked him and kept eating.
Alvida's eyes widened.
Zoro asked, "What's wrong?"
Cheng Lang was counting.
"One hundred and forty-four."
Luffy finally stopped, patting his stomach. He felt oddly full.
"Hiss…" Alvida gasped.
She realized the gap. She could only eat thirty at most, and that was when starving. Luffy had eaten a full meal earlier—and still managed 144.
And that wasn't even his limit.
"What's going on?" Usopp asked.
Cheng Lang explained, "This fruit is created by my ability. It has special properties—it directly provides energy. Did you feel full after just one?"
"Now that you mention it… yeah," Usopp admitted.
Zoro tried one and nodded. "Indeed."
Everyone turned to Luffy in disbelief.
"You're full, but you still ate 144?!" Nami shouted.
"I feel more energetic after eating!" Luffy jumped up and down, brimming with energy.
"Tsk tsk… worthy of being Nika," Cheng Lang muttered.
"What?" Luffy tilted his head.
Cheng Lang just smiled and waved it off.
"We've eaten. Now, tell me what you're here for."
Luffy scratched his face, hesitant.
Naturally, Nami spoke up.
"I heard you weren't planning to quit piracy. So I was thinking—would you sell your ship?"
"Oh, that? This boat was built with my ability. If you need, I can help you modify one." Cheng Lang smiled.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Really?! You're so nice!"
Cheng Lang waved his hand. "It's simple. But there are conditions."
"Money? We can pay two million berries!" Nami jumped in.
"Eh?! Don't we still have five million?" Luffy blurted.
"That's mine!" Nami smacked him. She turned back to Cheng Lang with an awkward smile.
"Well… we still need supplies and reserves."
Cheng Lang chuckled at her antics.
"What I need isn't money. I just want to explain my ability first. Don't be fooled by the size of this ship—it's actually an expansion of a small boat. If the base ship breaks, my ability won't stop working, but you won't be able to move forward at sea. So you'll need a proper ship as a foundation. And there's a limit to expansion."
---